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Abstract

This paper investigates the water use and marketing behaviour of smallholder cabbage producers from the Zanyokwe Irrigation Scheme in South Africa to identify the behaviour associated with the highest financial returns to water allocated to smallholder farmers to decrease rural poverty. The blue water footprint for cabbages was estimated; the value of the water was then calculated as the gross margin and value added per cubic metre of water at the respective stages along the value chain. The analyses show that the attributes of the products have a major influence on the degree of access to the highest value market alternatives, and hence on the ability of smallholder farmers to generate the highest possible return from the water they receive for agricultural purposes.

Keywords

blue water footprint value chain value of water Zanyokwe Irrigation Scheme

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Maximizing the Contribution of Irrigated Agriculture to Poverty Alleviation

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